Summer moth news from Purdis.

With summer now drawing to a close it’s time to look back on the last 2 months of moth recording here at Purdis. Been slightly disappointing overall, with warm temperatures not really bringing in that many large catches and very little evidence of migration here. Species diversity appeared to be lacking, something I’ve heard from other recorders too. High pressure with the clear skies coupled with the extreme drought to blame in my opinion. Weather then broke down towards the latter part of August with much needed rain arriving causing a flush of plant growth and a slight increase in commoner species of moths. However the rain came too late for some of the Heather and grassland on this site, with some large areas dead that will now take some time to regenerate.
Wasps have been a problem this year, with large numbers seen some nights killing part of the catch. I’ve found 3 nests in my garden so far so that shows how many are out there!
Of the common species of moth, the various underwings have had an awful season with really low counts, a blessing in some ways but also a worry as these are some of our commoner moths. Dark arches too has done poorly, as has July highflyer and Square-spot rustic. Tree-lichen beauty has had an excellent season though and there has been a strong second brood of Heart and Dart. Toadflax brocade also doing well with lots of larvae found widely across the site. A big arrival of Turnip moths (probably migrants) turned up on the 30th July, with 250 counted, possibly the most I’ve ever seen here in one night. So not all moths have done badly.
Being summer, there were still plenty of sightings of interest including new site records. Best period for this here was early August. The best night for recording this year was also at this time, with over 200 species seen from the 4 traps run on the 3rd August (don’t know exact number as data not imputed yet). Starting with the macros, moths of note included the following. Dotted footman (26th July, 6th site record), Gypsy moth (male, 2nd August, new site record and expected with the way this moth is currently expanding in the UK), Sandhill rustic (2nd and 3rd August, both different individuals, the 3rd and 4th site records), Cypress pug (3rd August, new site record, sadly just a forewing left in the bottom of the trap by the wasps!), Common lutestring (7th August, been scarce for a few years so good to see again), Square-spotted clay (a few in the latter part of August). The 6th August will be a night long remembered, with the discovery of 2 Rest harrow moths (following a large population expansion of the moth from Kent) and a Beautiful marbled (new site record, moth of the year so far here) around the outside of one trap!
I also did my annual recording session at the main reedbed site here for White-mantled wainscot on 23rd July, recording 2 individuals, so good to see it is still present. Lot of Large emerald and Sharp-angled peacock seen that night too along with a Dark spectacle.  Micros provided plenty of interest, as always. Anarsia inoxiella (2 records), Ypsolopha sylvella (15th July), Cydia amplana (regular in numbers throughout, must be breeding here), Ancylosis oblitella (a few records, not seen here many times), Clavigesta sylvestrana (new to site July 21st, possibly 3rd Suffolk record), Aristotelia brizella (26th July, 2nd site record), Acrobasis tumidana (2 records, another species possibly breeding here as almost annual), Yponomeuta sedella (26th July), Oncocera semirubella (3rd August), Pima boisduvaliella (3rd August), Cochylis implicitana (a few), Monochroa palustrella (3rd August), Carpatolechia alburnella (3rd August), Epermenia falciformis (6th August), Ptocheuusa paupella (6 on the 12th August plus a few others, a very good count for here), Monochroa hornigi (20th August), Parectopa ononidis (19th August, new to site), Cydalima perspectalis (Box-tree moth – 18th August, 3rd site record) and Endothenia ustulana (5th August, found in my greenhouse in the evening, new to site and to Suffolk).
Towards the second half of August after the rain things started to look more autumnal in the traps, with the appearance of both Pink-barred sallow and Yellow-line quaker on the 18th (both very early records, especially the quaker which is over 3 weeks earlier!). This was followed by Orange sallow (2) and Centre-barred sallow on the 21st, again quite early records for here. Be interesting to see what happens this autumn if the predicted warm conditions continue – will we see some summer stuff coming out as a second brood? Will there be any migration at all? Watch this space!
Be very interesting to see what other recorders have found this summer – have my observations on numbers etc been across the board?
Neil

Clavigesta sylvestrana

Clavigesta sylvestrana

Gypsy moth

Gypsy moth

Endothenia ustulana

Endothenia ustulana

The Beautiful marbled

The Beautiful marbled

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